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A Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian by an Anonymous Bishop

Anonymous

Section 13

About this work

Author: Anonymous

13. I beseech thee, hast thou not

‹ Section 12 Section 14 ›

read

,

“

Boast

not

,

and

speak

not

loftily

,

and

let

not

arrogancy

proceed

out

of

your

mouth

:

for

the

Lord

lifteth

the

poor

from

the

earth

;

He

raiseth

up

the

beggar

from

the

dunghill

,

and

maketh

him

to

sit

with

the

mighty

ones

of

the

people

?

”

Hast

thou

not

read

,

that

“

the

Lord

resisteth

the

proud

,

and

giveth

grace

to

the

humble

?

”

Hast

thou

not

read

,

“

Whoso

exalteth

himself

shall

be

humbled

?

”

Hast

thou

not

read

,

that

“

God

destroys

the

remembrance

of

the

proud

,

and

does

not

forsake

the

memory

of

the

lowly

?

”

Hast

thou

not

read

,

that

“

with

what

judgment

a

man

shall

judge

he

must

be

judged

?

”

Hast

thou

not

read

,

that

“

he

who

hateth

his

brother

is

in

darkness

,

and

walketh

in

darkness

,

and

knoweth

not

whither

he

goeth

,

because

the

darkness

hath

blinded

his

eyes

?

”

Whence

,

then

,

this

Novatian

has

become

both

so

wicked

and

so

lost

,

so

mad

with

rage

of

discord

,

I

cannot

discover

,

since

he

always

in

one

household

—

that

is

,

the

Church

of

Christ

—

would

have

bewailed

the

sins

of

his

neighbours

as

his

own

;

would

have

borne

the

burthens

of

his

brethren

,

as

the

apostle

exhorts

;

would

have

strengthened

the

faltering

in

the

faith

with

heavenly

counsel

.

But

now

,

from

the

time

when

he

began

to

practise

that

heresy

of

Cain

which

only

delights

in

slaying

,

he

does

not

even

of

late

spare

himself

.

But

if

he

had

read

that

“

the

righteousness

of

the

righteous

shall

not

deliver

him

in

the

day

on

which

he

shall

have

erred

,

and

the

wickedness

of

the

wicked

shall

not

harm

him

from

the

day

in

which

he

shall

have

been

converted

,

”

he

would

long

ago

have

repented

in

ashes

,

who

is

always

opposed

to

penitents

;

who

labours

more

readily

in

the

destruction

of

those

things

which

are

built

and

standing

,

than

in

the

building

up

of

those

which

are

prostrate

;

who

has

once

more

made

heathens

of

many

most

wretched

brethren

of

ours

,

terrified

by

his

false

oppositions

,

by

saying

that

the

repentance

of

the

lapsed

is

vain

,

and

cannot

avail

them

for

salvation

,

although

the

Scripture

cries

aloud

and

says

,

“

Remember

whence

thou

hast

fallen

,

and

repent

,

or

else

I

will

come

to

thee

except

thou

repent

.

”

And

indeed

,

writing

to

the

seven

churches

,

rebuking

each

one

of

them

with

its

own

crimes

and

sins

,

it

said

,

Repent

.

To

whom

but

to

them

,

doubtless

,

whom

He

had

redeemed

at

the

great

price

of

His

blood

?

Notes

41
1 Sam. ii. 3–8.
42
Jas. iv. 6.
43
Matt. xxiii. 12.
44
Matt. vii. 2.
45
1 John ii. 11.
46
This refers to Novatian’s letter in the name of the Roman people. (See p. 308. Compare p. 320, note 6.]
47
Ezek. xxxiii. 12.
48
Rev. ii. 5.